Brothers
by Gozilla
Summary: Future Trunks returned to the past timeline with... his son? Little did he know that a tragedy was waiting to happen which would change his and his younger-self's life. AU story. Please enjoy.
1. Default Chapter

Brothers  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hi there! It is going to be a Trunks-centered AU story (both the Future Trunks and the Present Trunks ^-^).  
  
I have been watching the series up to the first part of DBGT (the tournament held by Mr. Satan was finished). So I only have a slight idea of the characteristics of the Present Trunks. Also, as I have no idea about the storyline about the older Present Trunks, the ending of this story will definitely be very different from the original story. So please bear with me. ^-^  
  
Note: For simplicity, I will refer the Future Trunks as "Trunks" and the Present Trunks as "Little Trunks".  
  
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*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
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Chapter 1 - The Return  
  
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~In the past timeline~  
  
~Present~  
  
A stranger, who was wearing a torn, old leather ankle-length robe, with a piece of cloth loosely wrapped around his face, only revealing his eyes, stood in front of the 12 years old Little Trunks.  
  
The stranger looked straight into the bright blue eyes of Little Trunks. To his astonishment, Little Trunks found that he was looking at the very identical eyes of his own...  
  
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~Seven years ago~  
  
~Inside the Briefs' mansion~  
  
"Trunks!!" a blue-hair woman yelled angrily, "Would you please behave yourself? How many times I have to tell you not to trick people? It isn't funny at all!"  
  
The five years old Little Trunks simply ignored the yelling of his mother. He stuck his tongue out and made a funny face to his mother before charging out of the living room.  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma turned and started yelling at a man with spiky black hair, who stood in a corner of the living room watching the whole incidence with cold, unconcerned eyes, "Stop just stand there and watch as if it is none of your business! Would you please help to restrain your son? He is playing not-funny tricks on everyone around him, destroying everything as he pleases, and he is not listening to anyone!! He is driving me crazy!!"  
  
"Chi." Vegeta spat in annoyance, "Why do I have to care about that little brat's manner? I just have to train him to be the best worrier in the universe." He turned and left the living room, leaving the frustrated Bulma alone in the room.  
  
"Aaaarrrggghhhhh... I hate these Saiya people!" Bulma groaned waving her fists in the air in frustration.  
  
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~On the way to the Gravity training chamber~  
  
Vegeta walked silently on the way to his routine training for the day. Faint trace of anger still lingered inside his eyes, *Why the hell I should get involved in teaching the brat about those stupid earthling manners? I am the prince of the great Saiya tribe. That woman should be glad that I didn't kill that arrogant brat! He knew no respect to his superior! I should give him a good lesson on how to respect me, his superior and father, today.* he thought as he started searching for his son's ki.  
  
He located his son, who was in the backyard of the mansion, and walked towards his son's direction, with plans in his mind how to 'teach' his son during the training session.  
  
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~Inside the living room~  
  
With her anger slowly fading away, exhaustion overwhelmed Bulma. *Little Trunks has always been difficult to teach.* Bulma sighed as she leaned on the windowsill of one of the windows in the living room, staring at the scene outside.  
  
*Little Trunks has surely inherited all the strong aspects of both me and Vegeta. This kid is very smart like me... too smart sometimes. Yet, he is very powerful and has a wild mind like his father. He is only five now and he is already totally out of control. How am I supposed to teach him as he grow older?" she thought as she lowered her head, defeated.  
  
A familiar figure suddenly appeared in Bulma's mind from all the old memories. "Trunks..." she murmured under her breath as she saw in her mind the figure of a handsome, polite, gentle, strong, and sometimes, shy, youth who left their world around five years ago after the defeat of Cell.  
  
"I wonder how my future-self could have taught the child to be such a nice person. I wish I could have the time machine so that I can travel through time and ask for her advices..." she whispered, half-day dreaming.  
  
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~Inside the gravity training chamber~  
  
"Get up! You lazy brat!" Vegeta yelled at the little boy lying on the floor, "It is just 20G! How can you get tired so soon?"  
  
"But dad," said the little boy, through tearful eyes, "I am really tired. Can we stop for today?"  
  
"No crying!" yelled Vegeta, "Crying is for the weaklings! Your progress is far too slow! Get up! You are not finished with training until I say so!"  
  
"But dad," said little Trunks, "I am strong. I can defeat Goten within a few minutes with ease. I am not weak."  
  
"How can you compare yourself to that son of such a low-class worrier?" Vegeta was close to explosion, "Get up!"  
  
"Noooo...." tears started rolling down the cheeks of Little Trunks, screaming and waving hands and feet in the air, "I don't want to train! I am tired! I want mommy!!!"  
  
The high pitch scream was killing Vegeta's sensitive ears. He tried to pretend that it was nothing. But as the boy increased his volume, it became simply unbearable.  
  
"Fine!" yelled Vegeta angrily through the boy's scream, "You want to be a weakling? Be one! I don't care if you get yourself killed by another weakling just because you are too lazy to train!" He turned and switch off the gravity machine before leaving the chamber.  
  
Little Trunks stopped crying and screaming. A victorious smile appeared on his face and he stuck his tongue out towards the back of his father.  
  
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~Outside the gravity training chamber~  
  
Vegeta was still burning with anger of his defeat, mentally, by his own five-years old son when he felt a slight shake of the ground, as if something heavy had just landed in the backyard.  
  
"What the..." Vegeta murmured before he sensed the appearance of a very familiar ki, out of thin air, in the backyard. "It can't be... Trunks?" he murmured as he charged to the origin of the ki at his top speed.  
  
Vegeta arrived at the backyard just in time to see the last of the dust cloud caused by the landing of the huge vehicle faded away. The cover of the time machine opened slowly, a familiar face appeared in front of the Saiya prince.  
  
A young man jumped down from the pilot seat of the vehicle, carrying a small child with short sea-blue soft hair, in his arm. The child held tightly to the young man, looking around curiously.  
  
"Tousan." came deep voice. The young man stood in front of Vegeta, with a warm smile, yet showing a trace of hidden loneliness and bitterness, on his face, "How are you?"  
  
Vegeta looked at the young man, very surprised and did not know what to say. Although the Saiya prince would never admit it, he actually felt almost... happy... to see the person standing in front of him.  
  
"What is going on here?!" a female voice yelled around the corner, "Vegeta! Little Trunks! Did you guys break something again..." Bulma was too shocked to complete the sentence when she finally saw the young man, the small child, and the vehicle.  
  
"Kaasan." the young man turned to Bulma and said gently, his smile widened, "So nice to see you again. How are you doing?"  
  
"TRUNKS!!!!" Bulma shouted at the top of her voice, "You are back!! Welcome back!! It has been almost five years since you left, right? What took you so long? I miss you so much!" said Bulma as she rushed towards her 'older' son and hugged him tightly around his neck.  
  
Trunks blushed heavily and hugged back his mum, "I am sorry, kaasan. There was a minor accident when I return to the future timeline. It took me a few years before I could fix the problem and refuel the time machine."  
  
"It's OK." Bulma said as she released the young man from her embrace. She finally noticed the small child he was holding, "Who... is he... Is he your..." she asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yes, kaasan." Trunks smiled, slightly blushed, "This is Vegeta-chan, or V- chan as I call him, he is your grandson. He is almost four years old now. I named him after tousan." he said as he looked over to his father, who was standing with his arms-crossed nearby.  
  
"He is so adorable." Bulma's eyes brightened with happiness, "So when did you get married? And where is your wife?" she gently took the child from her 'older' son's arms and held him in hers. The child showed no sign of being scared and looked at his grandmother curiously.  
  
"I and Yuki got married about one year after I returned to the future." Trunks said, sadness filled his bright blue eyes, "She died when giving birth to V-chan. She would have made it if she was in this timeline. After years of destruction, the medical supplies in my timeline are extremely scarced."  
  
Bulma's felt sympathy to her 'older' son. He was always so lonely.  
  
"Dad?" the child, turning to look at his father, "Who is she?"  
  
"V-chan, she is your grandmother." Trunks smiled and pointed to Vegeta, "And he is your grandfather."  
  
The child tiled his head in confusion, "But you told me that grandfather and grandmother were dead."  
  
Bulma was shocked at the child's words, "Trunks, what happened to your mother?"  
  
Trunks looked at the eyes of Bulma, another wave of sadness filled his bright blue eyes, "She passed away one night about six months after I have returned. There was no sign of sickness or anything. She just left one night in her sleep. I guess it may be due to years of hardship and exhaustion she had suffered." A bitter smile appeared on his face, "At least I am glad that she left peacefully without any pain or suffering."  
  
Bulma looked at her 'older' son, sensing the pain and loneliness embedded deep inside his heart behind the mask of strong. She gently hugged him again, a hand stroking his back, "It's alright. I am sure she went in peace and with satisfaction, knowing that you will be doing fine without her."  
  
"Mum, who is he?" came a child's voice. Little Trunks had also sensed the presence of a powerful person who he had no memory of. He was surprised to see his mum acting so passionately towards the stranger.  
  
"Um, well... It is quite difficult to explain." Bulma hesitated, not sure if she should explain the whole incidence to the five-years-old Trunks, which could take days to do so.  
  
"Hi there." Trunks stepped towards his younger-self, looking at the identical eyes of his, smiling, "You must be Trunks, right? I am a distance cousin of yours and I am also called Trunks." he pointed to the small child in his mother's arm, "And he is V-chan, my son. Nice to meet you." he said as he held out a hand to little Trunks.  
  
Little Trunks looked at the young man and the hand offered to him with some hesitation. Somehow, his instincts told him that this young man standing in front of him would do him no harm. Hesitantly, he shook the young man's hand, "Hi. How come dad and mum never mentioned anything about you?"  
  
"I guess they must be very occupied by their work." Trunks replied as he made a brief glimpse at his father, who was looking at the two Trunks and turned away once their eyes met.  
  
Trunks kneeled down so that little Trunks could see his face in the same level, "Besides, we rarely meet as I live very far away from here. That's why we have never met before."  
  
Little Trunks looked at the young man, despite of the many doubtful points in the explanation, surprisingly, he didn't feel like asking difficult, if not embarrassing, questions as he would normally do. Instead, he became very interested in the youth, who gave him an exceptional feeling of comfort.  
  
"Hey, Trunks, V-chan, do you want to see the latest video game I have just got? Grandpa has just developed it and it is not yet available in the market! And it is fun!" Little Trunks asked excitedly.  
  
"Sure." Trunks said as he nodded to Bulma and Vegeta to excuse him. V-chan jumped off his grandmother's arm and ran to his father, holding his hand.  
  
Little Trunks continued, "Trunks, can I call you oniisan? It is kind of weird to call you with my own name."  
  
"Of course." said Trunks as the three walked into the mansion.  
  
"This is strange." Bulma murmured, "Little Trunks usually hates to share things with the others, not even with Goten. He voluntarily invite Trunks and V-chan to play with him?"  
  
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~Around mid-night~  
  
~Inside the dark living room~  
  
Vegeta stood by the window, staring at the night scene of the city.  
  
"Mum's asleep, right?" came a deep voice from the other end of the living room.  
  
"Hn." was Vegeta's reply, without looking at the visitor.  
  
"She must be tired after having prepared so much food and the room for me and V-chan." the purple-hair young man walked slowly towards the Saiya prince. He looked out of the window as he stood beside Vegeta, "Little Trunks and V-chan are sleeping too. They get along very well and they are so energetic. I can't remember myself being having so much energy when I was small."  
  
Vegeta said nothing.  
  
Trunks, knowing his father well enough, took that silence as a permission to go on, continued, "Just two days before mum's pass away, she talked exceptionally more than usual, as if she knew she was about to leave me."  
  
Vegeta half-turned to his son, a little surprised of the sudden change of subject.  
  
"She talked a lot about you." Trunks kept looking out of the window, his voice calm and sad, "More than she had ever told me in the last twenty years. She loved you. She had been missing you badly in the last twenty years. She wanted to give me her memories about you before she leaves."  
  
No response.  
  
Trunks lowered his head, "I know mum was too strong to admit it, but I am sure she really wanted to tell you how much she loved you. Perhaps this is what she wanted me to do. To make sure that you would know this and her past-self would not have to regret for the rest of her life for not able to tell you this."  
  
"She also told me that there is no shame to express one's love towards the others." Trunks slowly turned and looked at his father, who was still looking out of the window, "Dad, I am not sure, and I don't care, if you like it or not. But I just want to tell you that I love you."  
  
A ripple spread across the long-stilled emotions of the Saiya prince. But nothing was shown on his icy-cold face.  
  
Silently, Trunks started walking towards the room Bulma had prepared for him, leaving his father alone in the darkness.  
  
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End of Chapter 1  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. There will be more actions coming in the next chapter. So stay tuned. ^-^  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! Thanks!! 


	2. Chapter 2 – The Fatal Fight

Brothers  
  
By Gozilla  
  
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I would like to thank all of you who read and/or reviewed the last chapter!! I promise I will continue to improve my writing skills!!  
  
Gozilla (25 Sept 2003)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2 - The Fatal Fight  
  
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~The next day noon~  
  
~Inside Little Trunks' room~  
  
Little Trunks had been lingering around Trunks and V-chan for the whole morning, playing, talking, and sharing everything with his 'oniisan' and his son. Somehow, he did not want to play any tricks on the visitors. Instead, he wanted to share everything he had with them, though he had never met them before.  
  
Trunks was very patient and accompanied his younger-self and his son for the whole morning with a gentle smile on his face. He was not quite used to accompanying people, as there was not many left in his time. So for most of the time, he just listened to the children and watched as they played.  
  
It was about noon when Bulma visited the group. "Hi guys." she said as she entered the room, "It seems that you guys are having a lot of fun. Sorry that I have to interrupt for a while as Goku, Gohan and Goten have just arrived."  
  
"Goten!" Little Trunks yelled as he grabbed the hand of V-chan, "Come on V- chan, Goten is my best friend. I want you two to meet!" he ran out of the room with V-chan, leaving his mum and the young man in his room.  
  
Bulma watched as her little son disappeared from the corridor. She turned to look at the young man standing in front of her, "I have never seen Little Trunks getting along with someone so well, except for Goten, and he is behaving so good around you. You may not believe it, but he is a little devil." as she blinked one eye to the young man.  
  
Trunks blushed, not knowing what to say.  
  
Though Bulma would never admit it, but she loved to see her 'older' son's slightly embarrassed face, so innocent.  
  
"Anyway," Bulma continued, "I hope you don't mind that I told the Son's family that you are back. They have been missing you a lot for all these years."  
  
"Of course not." Trunks replied, a gentle smile returned to his face.  
  
"Well, let's go and meet them. They are waiting for you in the living room." Bulma said as she took her son's warm and strong hand and led him to the group.  
  
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~Inside the living room~  
  
Little Trunks, V-chan and Goten were virtually tangled together as they were having a playful fight on the floor.  
  
Goku (in the "angel" form) and Gohan, on the other hand, were feasting on the food prepared by Bulma.  
  
"Trunks! So nice to see you again!" Goku sensed the arrival of the youth and greeted him with a mouthful.  
  
"Hi Trunks! How are you doing?" Gohan also greeted the young man, "Come and join us for breakfast!"  
  
Trunks sweat-dropped before his gentle smile returned to his face, "No thanks. I had some cereal this morning and I am not hungry."  
  
"How come?" asked Goku, looking up from the food, "I always feel hungry, so do Gohan and Goten. I thought it was due to the body structure of a Saiya- jin."  
  
"Maybe." Trunks replied, "But I think I am more used to the environment which food is very scarce. I don't eat much. But I get tired relatively easily and I need to sleep long hours to recover."  
  
Trunks stopped as Vegeta entered the room, knowing that his father did not like him talking too much.  
  
"Hi, Vegeta." greeted Goku, "Long time no see. Seems that you are getting stronger yet again."  
  
"Of course." Vegeta replied, annoyed, "I will catch up with you and defeat you very soon."  
  
"Hey, as we are all here, why don't we have a little friendly match in the gravity chamber?" Goku suggested, itching for a fight.  
  
"But dad," Little Trunks tagged the shirt of his father, "There is a video game exhibition in the city today. I want to go there."  
  
Vegeta threw a disgusted glare at the boy, "No, you are coming to the gravity chamber with us. You need to practice your fighting skills."  
  
"But this is the last day of the exhibition!" Little Trunks shouted, "I don't want to train! I am very strong already!"  
  
"You? Strong?" Vegeta spat, "You are a thousand miles from being strong! You are just a unless rubbish with your current power level!"  
  
"I am NOT!" Little Trunks yelled as he charged out of the house.  
  
"Little Trunks!" Bulma shouted and ran after the boy. She was stopped by a strong hand put on her shoulder.  
  
"I will go after him." Trunks said, assuring Bulma, "I promise you that I will bring him back safely." as he ran out of the house, following the ki of the boy. V-chan also ran after his father.  
  
Not knowing why, Bulma had a bad feeling as she watched the young man disappeared behind the door. *I promise you that I will bring him back safely.* the last words of the youth rang insider her mind.  
  
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~Out in the open far away from the mansion~  
  
"Little Trunks!" Trunks shouted through the strong wind, holding his son with one of his arms, "Wait up! Where are you going?"  
  
"Leave me alone!" Little Trunks shouted through his tears, "Dad doesn't love me at all! All he knew are fight, train and fight! I hate him!"  
  
Trunks smiled bitterly to himself at the boy's words, *This was exactly how I felt when I first met him...* but knowing better than that now, "Little Trunks, listen to me. Your dad is not like that. At least, part of him is not like that."  
  
Little Trunk stopped and turned to the young man, "Really? Oniisan, you are not lying to me, right?"  
  
"Of course I am not." Trunks said as he put an assuring hand on the boy's shoulder, "Your dad has a fire of passion deep inside his heart. I am sure your dad loves you. He just doesn't know how to express it."  
  
"Really?" Little Trunks asked, his tearful eyes shone with hope, "Dad loves me? Please tell me you are not lying to me..."  
  
"I am not..." the smile on Trunks' face faded away as he sensed the approach of five powerful ki, "Little Trunks, V-chan, go home as soon as possible and warn the others."  
  
"No." said Little Trunks, also sensing the approach of the enemies, determined, "I am not leave you. I will fight with you." V-chan, on the other hand, sensed the danger and grabbed Little Trunks' hand, "Listen to dad, let's go and get help."  
  
"No, I am not leaving." Little Trunks argues, resisting V-chan's grip.  
  
Trunks was about to ask the boy to leave again when the enemies arrived.  
  
They were five human-like aliens, with green skin and red eyes. The leading one was a muscular male, with a female alien following closely to him. The other three were male youths. Their red eyes shone with cruelty and blood-thirst.  
  
"That's the one!" the female alien shouted excitedly, pointing at Little Trunks, "That's the one they were talking about in the bar! A hybrid between the last Saiya royal blood and a pity earthling! He is so adorable! Look! There is another one! I love its sea-blue hair. Aka, my father, can I keep them, please?" as she shook the arm of the muscular alien.  
  
Aka looked at the boy and then the female alien, "Alright, Saki, but only if you promise you will take care of them before you get bored and kill them someday."  
  
"Hey you green ugly aliens!" yelled Little Trunks, "Who do you think you are talking about? Do I look like a pet? You want to take me? In your dreams!!"  
  
"It can talk!!" Saki shouted excitedly, shaking her father's arm, "It is so cute! I want them! I will have them no matter what! I promise I will take care of them when they are alive!"  
  
Aka sighed, defeated by his daughter's persistence, and signaled one of the youths standing behind him to catch the boys.  
  
"Don't you even think about it." came the deep voice. Trunks stepped forward, shielding the boys, "Who are you? What makes you think that you can take someone just like that?"  
  
Aka looked at Trunks, danger shone in his eyes, "I warn you boy. Stay away from our way and you may live a little longer with your pity life. We are the most powerful hunters in the universe. We take everything we want. If anyone dare to stand in our way, he will die." he said as he and the other three youth powered up their ki.  
  
Trunks' eyes widened, shocked by the power of the aliens, *I don't stand a chance defeating all five of them, especially the leader. What should I do to protect the boys?* as he looked at the children standing behind him, each holding one of his legs, shaking in fear of the powerful enemies in front of them.  
  
Trunks returned his glare to the enemies, *I sure hope that dad and the others will sensed the powerful ki of these five aliens and come quickly...* he thought as he powered up to his full strength, transforming to super Saiyajin-2.  
  
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~Inside the gravity chamber~  
  
Vegeta dodged a ki ball threw at him by Goku and counter attacked his opponent with an intensive round of ki arrows. Goku blocked the arrows and clashed with Vegeta in mid-air. The two parted after an exchange of heavy punches and kicks in lightning speed.  
  
Goku looked at his opponent, "I feel so good! I have been banned to fight as I can easily destroy things unintentionally. Bulma is a genius to invent such a strong chamber. It hardly left a scratch with our ki attacks."  
  
"Bulma-san told me that she used some special materials on the walls inside and outside of the chamber which can absorb ki energy.", Gohan said, who was practicing with Goten, "So normal ki energy will not break the walls. But Bulma-san asked us not to transform to super Saiya as the ki-attacked will be too strong for the walls. Also, Bulma said that the walls can block any ki flow. So people outside of the chamber can't sense us but we can't sense the existence of ki outside also."  
  
"Stop the bull shit and continue." Vegeta murmured in annoyance and charged towards Goku.  
  
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~Out in the open far away from the mansion~  
  
"Impressive," said Aka, watching the young man powered up and changed to super Saiya-2, "if I am not mistaken, you are a half Saiyajin as well. You are very strong indeed. I am impressed. Why don't you join us? You will sure enjoy a luxurious life working with us."  
  
"No, thanks." Trunks said with determination, "I am not interested in working with a bunch to thieves."  
  
"What a pity." Aka said, signaling one of the youth standing behind him, "Piso, dispose this junk and get me the little Saiya hybrids."  
  
"Yes, master." Piso answered before charging towards Trunks with lightning speed.  
  
Trunks held his arms in front of him and blocked the attack, his feet left a long trail on the ground. Little Trunks and V-chan let go of Trunks leg just in time without being dragged along the way. "Little Trunks, V-chan, fly home quickly and warn the others!" Trunks shouted as he blocked an intensive round of punches and kicks from his opponent.  
  
The boys hesitated, knowing that the enemies were too strong for Trunks to handle alone. They also knew very well that they could do nothing to help Trunks. Before they could act, Saki appeared in front of him, blocking their way, "Where do you think you are going, my dear?"  
  
Little Trunks and V-chan had no choice but to power up and fight the alien. "Oh, you want to play, right?" Saki said as she powered up and blocked the attacks from her targets.  
  
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"V-chan! Trunks!" Trunks shouted, fear surged inside him as he watched the boys fought with Saki. *I must finish this fight as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will be in great danger.* he thought as he powered up more ki and fought his opponent.  
  
But it was easier said that done. Trunks' opponent was strong. Their ki levels were similar. They exchanged heavy punches and kicks but there was no sign of an end of the fight. Trunks drove himself away from his opponent and pulled out his sword, which he took wherever he went, powering it up with his ki and swung against the alien.  
  
Taken off-guarded, Piso received a huge cut on his upper torso. He trembled and retrieved behind Aka.  
  
"Master..." Piso was not able to finish the sentence as a large ki-ball hit him and exploded, turning the alien into thousands of pieces.  
  
"Rubbish." Aka spat, holding up his hand, which was still smoking from the fire of the ki-ball. He turned to another youth behind him, "Geru, you better finish the job or you know what will happen to you."  
  
Geru swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes, master." as he powered up and charged towards Trunks with lightning speed, firing powerful ki-arrows at the youth.  
  
Trunks barely dodged the ki-arrows, *This alien is much stronger than the last one. He is very fast and powerful. But I will defeat him. I need to protect the children!*  
  
Trunks threw a powerful ki-ball, not at his opponent, but to the ground right in front of the alien. The explosion caused a huge cloud of dust around his opponent.  
  
"What?" Geru shouted in confusion, trying desperately to look through the dust and to sense the ki of his opponent, but no avail.  
  
All of a sudden, a surge of extremely powerful ki appeared, right in front of Geru.  
  
It was Trunks, who masked his ki immediately after sending the powerful ki ball to the ground and charged in lightning speed at his opponent with his body power before powering up his ki to the maximum right in front of his opponent, driving his sword through the alien's body.  
  
Suddenly, Aka appeared behind Geru and threw an extremely powerful ki-ball towards the two fighters. Trunks had no time to escape before the ki-ball exploded violently, which disintegrated his opponent into thousands of pieces in split seconds.  
  
Trunks felt several of his ribs broke under the pressure of the explosion and numerous deep wounds opened all over his body. He lost grip of his sword and was sent hundred of meters away by the wave of the explosion before being stopped by a gigantic rock on the ground.  
  
He could barely stand up and clear his mind before a hard, cold metal blade was driven through his chest. He watched in disbelieve as he saw Aka, who drove Trunks' own sword through its master's body and pinned the youth to the gigantic rock behind him, backed away with and evil smile on his face.  
  
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End of Chapter 2  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be posted soon. So stay tuned. ^-^  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! Thanks!! 


	3. Chapter 3 – Death

Brothers  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thanks again for those of you who read and/or reviewed the last chapter!! Please feel free to comment so that I can improve my writing and story- plotting skills. ^-^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3 - Death  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Inside the gravity chamber~  
  
Goku and Vegeta were engaged in another round of intensive punches and kicks. Goku slipped and lost balance for a split second. Vegeta saw the opportunity and closed in for a hard kick. He stopped in mid-air as a strong flash of worst-ever feeling struck him hard inside his mind.  
  
Goku flipped away gracefully from his opponent, who was staring at the emptiness in front of him. "You alright, Vegeta?" Goku asked, confused.  
  
"Trunks..." the Saiya prince murmured, as cold sweat escaping his forehead, "He is trouble..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Out in the open far away from the mansion~  
  
Little Trunks and V-chan watched in horror as Aka pinned the battered young man to the gigantic rock.  
  
"About time." Saki said, who did not even wince at the death of two of her companions, "OK, little hybrids, now your protector is as good as dead, you can come with me." as she grabbed Little Trunks and V-chan by their collars.  
  
"NO!!!" Little Trunks shouted and bit Saki's hand.  
  
"Ouch!" Saki cried and released her grip on the boys.  
  
Little Trunks and V-chan rushed to the young man pinned to the rock. "Dad! Dad! Please don't leave me." V-chan started crying.  
  
"Oniisan, please don't die. Please... I promise I will be good. I promise I will listen to you from now on. Please don't die." Little Trunks shouted as tears rolled down his cheeks.  
  
The clouded eyes of Trunks slowly came to focus, "V-chan, Trunks, I am sorry that I am not strong enough to protect you." he said weakly, "Run. Go and get the others. They will be able to protect you."  
  
Saki looked at her hand, which had a bloody bite mark, and yelled to Aka, "Father! I don't want these brats any more! Kill them!! I don't want to see them ever again!!"  
  
"OK, my dear daughter." Aka sighed, "As you wish." as he powered up a huge ki-ball with his hands.  
  
Little Trunks and V-chan looked at the growing ki-ball in front of them, frozen in fear.  
  
"No..." Trunks murmured, his mind half-unconscious, "I can't anything bad happen to the children..." as he used all his remaining strength to pull himself from the sword, ignoring the excruciating pain from the enlarged wound. As soon as he pulled free from the sword, he embraced the boys before the full impact with the deadly ki-ball engulfed him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Outside of the Brief's mansion~  
  
Vegeta charged out of the gravity chamber, immediately sensing the existence of three powerful ki, with one extraordinarily strong. He searched for the ki of his two sons and grandson. Only to find a very faint trace of their ki, and dangerously close to the three powerful ki.  
  
"Vegeta!" shouted Goku, knowing very well the urgency of the situation, "Grab my arm and we are going there with my instant movement technique!"  
  
Vegeta obeyed and grabbed Goku's right arm, while Gohan grabbed the other arm. "Goten, stay here." Gohan said before the three disappeared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Out in the open far away from the mansion~  
  
Vegeta, Goku and Gohan arrived the scene just when the gigantic ki-ball left the hands of Aka. The three watched in horror as the ki-ball hit Trunks, with Little Trunks and V-chan in his protective embrace, and exploded violently.  
  
The three stood in shock as the explosion died down. When the cloud of dust gradually disappeared, they saw three bodies lying in the middle of the huge crater. The young man was completely battered and unmoving, the smaller ones were out of sight in the embrace of the young man.  
  
Vegeta shook violently in anger and grief. "TRUNKS!!" he screamed as he transformed to super Saiyajin, and then, for the very first time, changed to super Saiyajin-3. He charged at lightening speed and tremendous force towards Aka.  
  
Caught by surprise, Aka was off-guarded and unable to block the attack. A fatal wound opened on his chest. His eyes filled with fear, "It is impossible. How can a Saiyajin possesses such power..." he murmured as he fell to ground.  
  
On the other hand, Goku and Gohan engaged with a fight with Saki and the remaining alien. The fights did not last long before the Son's father and son claimed their victory.  
  
Vegeta walked silently towards the three bodies lying in the crater, his mind totally blanked. As he approached the bodies, he saw a slight movement from the small bodies.  
  
"Little Trunks." he rushed towards and checked on the small boys. Little Trunks and V-chan were basically unharmed, only unconscious due to shock.  
  
Vegeta immediately turned to the young man, gently holding his 'older' son in his arms, "Trunks, Trunks." he called desperately as he sensed the remaining faint trace of ki was slipping away from the young man.  
  
Trunks slowly opened his blue eyes, now dim and out-focused. "Mum." he murmured weakly, "Mum... I am cold... let's go home..."  
  
Vegeta looked at Trunks, unable to hold back anymore, as tears started rolling down his cheeks, "Trunks, don't die. No." as he shook the young man in his arms very gently.  
  
Trunks' eyes slowly focused. His eyes shone with happiness and a weak smile appeared on his pale face, "Dad, it's you..." he said weakly, "Dad, let's go home with me... mum will be so glad... to see you..." as his eyes gradually became blank and dull. He slowly closed his eyes and stopped breathing.  
  
Vegeta looked at his son, his heart tore into hundred of pieces. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out from his mouth. Tears rolled down uncontrollably, dropping to the pale face of the young man.  
  
Goku and Gohan approached the Saiya prince and stood without a word.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Inside the Brief's mansion~  
  
Bulma sat in a sofa in the living room, her heart very unsettled. *What is going on? How come I have such an uncomfortable feeling? Where are Vegeta, Goku and Gohan?* she thought as the door bell rang.  
  
Bulma opened the door and saw Goku and Gohan standing in front of the door. "Where the hell have you guys been..." she could not finish the sentence as she saw the two were carrying something in their arms.  
  
Gohan was carrying the unconscious Little Trunks and V-chan while Goku was carrying something wrapped in a large cloth, something seemed too much like a human body. Their eyes filled with sadness.  
  
Bulma was deeply shaken. She rushed to Little Trunks and V-chan, "What happened?" she felt a bit relieved when she found that the boys were basically unharmed.  
  
She then turned to Goku and looked at the wrapped body in his arms. Her heart sunk. Somehow, even without unwrapping the body in front of her, she knew it was her son. "Trunks..." her tears started rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Where is Vegeta?" Bulma asked quietly, her head lowered.  
  
"He left." Goku said, "After Trunks died in his arms, he took Trunks' sword and left without saying a word. I don't know where he is. I am sorry."  
  
"That's alright." Bulma said, her head lowered, "Gohan, could you please help me to bring Little Trunks and V-chan to Little Trunk's room?"  
  
Bulma looked at the wrapped body of her 'older' son, "Goku, could you please bring Trunks to my room? I will be right there."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Inside Little Trunks' room~  
  
Gohan put Little Trunks and V-chan on his bed. Bulma settled the boys and put a blanket over them. She kissed the boys' forehead and left the room, leaving Gohan and Goten to accompany the sleeping boys.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Inside Bulma's room~  
  
Goku put the wrapped body on Bulma's bed, sadness filled his eyes.  
  
Bulma entered the room and looked at the wrapped body with her tearful eyes. She asked quietly, "Goku, is there any way we can revive him?"  
  
Goku looked at the heart-broken mother, "Bulma, you know that we have revived him once with the dragon balls five years ago. The dragon cannot revive the same person from death twice."  
  
"I know." Bulma whispered as she lowered her head.  
  
She kneeled beside the bed and started unwrapping the body gently. Goku sighed and left the room, leaving the mother and son for their private moments.  
  
As Bulma removed the cloth, the battered body of Trunks revealed in front of her. She slowly inspected it. Her heart being torn apart as she saw numerous wounds and bruises on her son's body. Her eyes stopped at a large wound on his chest.  
  
*I promise you that I will bring him back safely.* the last words of her son rang in her mind again. She stroked his soft purple hair gently and looked at his peaceful face.  
  
She held his hand, it was cold and stiffened, *It was so warm and strong when I hold it this morning...*. No longer able to hold back her tears, "Thank you for saving my son, Trunks. But I have never meant to lose you for him. You are my son too. And I love you as much as I love Little Trunks." as she sobbed heart-brokenly beside her son.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~On the Kai King planet~  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" Goku asked.  
  
"Not really." Kai King said as he held a small box in his hand, "It is lucky enough for me to find his strayed soul. His soul is not under the jurisdiction of the underworld here as he doesn't belong to this timeline."  
  
Kai King continued, "We need to send his body and soul to his own timeline as soon as possible. Otherwise, his soul will be extinguished altogether soon." and he handed the box to Goku.  
  
Goku took the box from Kai King. He sighed and disappeared from the spot in a flash.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Early next morning~  
  
~In the backyard of the Brief's mansion~  
  
Goku carefully placed the tightly wrapped body of Trunks on the pilot seat of the time machine. Gohan then put V-chan in Trunks' lap. The child held tightly to the small box containing his father's soul, sobbing. He cried the whole morning after being told of the news of his father's death.  
  
Little Trunks had remained sleeping throughout the night. The others had no intention to wait him up for this as it would be too much for the child.  
  
Bulma climbed to the pilot seat of the time machine, adjusting the buttons to make sure the two would return to the right timeline. After double- checking the settings, Bulma turned to look at her sobbing grandson. She gently stroked the soft sea-blue hair of the child, "V-chan, guard your father's body and soul bravely and take good care of yourself."  
  
The child looked at his grandmother through tearful eyes, "Yes, grandma, I will."  
  
Bulma switched on the time machine and closed the entrance of it. She jumped to the ground and took one last look at her son and grandson, tears started rolling down her cheeks.  
  
The time machine rose to the sky before disappearing in a flash of light.  
  
Unnoticed by anyone in the scene, the Saiya prince watched from the top of a tree not far away from the mansion. His face showed no emotion, with his son's sword held tightly in his hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In the future timeline~  
  
~In the backyard of Trunks' home~  
  
With a flash of light, a huge vehicle appeared out of nowhere and landed on the ground. A child pushed open the entrance of the vehicle, holding a small box carefully with his hands.  
  
Hesitantly, he opened the small box. A crystal-like ball shining with bright blue light flied out from the box. The ball circled the child a few times before plunging into the tightly wrapped body on the pilot seat of the vehicle. The same bright blue light shone from the body as it disappeared into thin air, leaving behind the wrapping cloth on the pilot seat.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be posted soon. So stay tuned. ^-^  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! Thanks!! 


	4. Chapter 4 ¡V The End?

Brothers  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thanks you so much for those of you who read and/or reviewed the last chapter!! I hope I didn't ruin anyone's weekend mood by depressing them with the last chapter.  
  
Please continue to give me comments so that I can improve my writing and story-plotting skills. ^-^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4 - The End?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In the underworld~  
  
"Trunks Brief, I have been expecting you." said Kai King of Trunks' timeline, sitting behind a gigantic office desk, "My other-self in the past sent me a message about you. As your case are such a very special one, I will handle it myself."  
  
Trunks stood, silent, his head lowered.  
  
"I have read through your file." Kai King continued, flipping though a thick file, "You are one of the greatest people I have ever seen. You have saved the world from total destruction. There is no doubt that I can grant you eternal after-life as a reward."  
  
"If I am granted with eternal after-life," the young man asked, "can I stay in the human world and look after my son?"  
  
"Well, basically no." Kai King said, "You may go to the human world once in a while. But you can't stay more then 30 days in the human world in a year. Otherwise, your soul will be damaged."  
  
Trunks' eyes waved with emotions, "Is there any way I can stay in the human world and look after my son? He is too young to live without me."  
  
"Hm... There is." Kai King said hesitantly, "But I am certain that it is not a good idea."  
  
"What is it?" Trunks asked.  
  
Kai King answered, "Well, I can concentrate your spirit energy for the eternal after-life, allowing you to stay in the human world for a longer period of time. In doing so, you must stay in this timeline during the period. However, spending all your spirit energy in such rate means that your body and soul will be destroyed to nothing afterwards. You won't even be able to be reincarnated."  
  
"Kai King." Trunks said in determination, "Please help me to survive in the human world until my son turns 18."  
  
Kai King was shocked at the request, "Are you sure? Did you listen to me? Your body and soul will be totally destroyed afterwards."  
  
"Yes, I understand that. This is my decision." Trunks raised his head, looking straight to Kai King's eyes.  
  
Kia King sighed, "This is the very first time I have ever seen a person sacrificing his eternal life to another person. Very well, your wish is granted."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In future timeline~  
  
~In the human world~  
  
V-chan sobbed quietly in his room, holding a pillow tightly. He didn't know what to do. He had no living relative or friend in this world. He was scared and confused.  
  
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar ki appeared outside the house. Shocked, he rushed out of the house and saw a too familiar shape of a person's back.  
  
The purple-hair young man turned around, looking at the child with his bright-blue eyes, a warm smile on his face, "Hi, V-chan, why are you crying?"  
  
"Dad!!!" the child shouted and jumped into his father's embrace, crying, "I thought you would never come back. I was scared."  
  
"Don't worry." said the young man, "I am back."  
  
The child stopped crying, "Dad, please promise me that you will never leave me."  
  
"Don't be silly." a wave of sadness flashed through the bright-blue eyes, "I know you must be tired. Let's get back to the house. I will cook dinner for you." Trunks said as he walked into the house, with his son in his warm embrace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In present timeline~  
  
Little Trunks slowly opened his eyes, *Where am I?* he thought, searching his memories but no avail.  
  
"Finally you wake up." came a deep voice from the door, it was Vegeta.  
  
"Dad?" the child got up, confused, "What happened? Wasn't I training with you in the gravity room? How come I am in my bedroom all of a sudden?"  
  
Vegeta frowned, "You don't remember? The visitors? The battle?"  
  
"What battle? You mean the training with you?" Little Trunks was even more confused.  
  
"No. Forget it." Vegeta turned and walked out of the room, leaving his son in the room, *What is going on? Maybe the incidence was too much for him to handle and the memories is locked in the subconscious mind for his protection.*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In future timeline~  
  
~13 years later~  
  
"Dad, we have won the 'Best Corporation of the World' award again! It is the fifth one in a roll!" a well-built youth with short soft sea-blue hair shouted, charging through the large door made of beautiful oak wood, into a luxury office room.  
  
"Calm down, Vegeta." a young man with purple hair sitting behind a large office desk said with a warm smile on his face, "This is a recognition of your hard work in building up the Capsule Corporation. Well done."  
  
"Come on, dad." Vegeta said, blushing, "It is a recognition of YOUR hard work. I have just started helping you in the corporation three years ago. You have been working so hard to rebuild the world and CC over the years while taking good care of me. You are such an amusing person."  
  
Vegeta leaned over the desk, looking at his father curiously, "Hey, dad. I always wonder why you don't seem to age at all over the past 13 years. You have been working so hard that I rarely seen you sleep at all. Is there a secret of forever youth you haven't told me?"  
  
"My son, you have been reading too many science fictions." Trunks said, a bitter smile on his face, "There is no such thing as forever youth. Everything has its costs."  
  
"OK, I know. 'There is a cost for everything.' You says it all the time." the youth turned and sat on the desk, "Oh, my 18th birthday is coming this weekend. I want to invite some friends to come over and have a small party. Do you mind joining us?"  
  
Trunks felt his heart sank like a lead at the mention of the words '18th birthday', *Time really flies... Vegeta is turning 18 this weekend... And I...*  
  
"Dad? Dad? Are you alright?" Vegeta asked, his eyes filled with concern, "You feeling alright?"  
  
"I... I am fine." Trunks said hesitantly, "Sorry that I don't think I can join you. You guys have fun, OK?" he forced a smile to his son.  
  
"Sure." Vegeta replied, still looking at his father in suspicion, "You sure you are OK?"  
  
"Yes, I am fine." Trunks said, "Vegeta, are you free the evening before your birthday? Shall we go to a decent restaurant so that the two of us can celebrate your big day?"  
  
"No problem." said the youth cheerfully, "I will pick you up after work as usual that day. Bye." as he left the room.  
  
Unaware by the excited youth, his father slowly turned and looked out of the window, facing the lively city, his heart ached for the coming permanent departure from his son and all those he knew, both in the human world and the underworld.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In future timeline~  
  
~The evening before Vegeta's 18th birthday, 8pm~  
  
"Hey, dad, are you ready to leave?" Vegeta went into his father's office room, excited. The big smile on his face faded as he saw his father lied beside the desk, unmoving.  
  
"Dad!" the youth shouted in shock as he rushed to his father, holding him with his arms, "Dad! Wake up! Dad!"  
  
Trunks opened his eyes, slowly came to focus, "Vegeta?"  
  
Vegeta frowned as he saw his father's face was paper-white and hands were icy-cold, "What happened? Are you sick? I am taking you to a doctor."  
  
"No, no need." Trunks said weakly, feeling his energy, both physically and spiritually, was draining away as the final deadline approached, "Just stay with me. I just feel tired. There are only a few more hours and it will be over."  
  
Vegeta frowned deeply, reminding Trunks of his own father, the good old Vegeta. "Dad, what are you talking about?" the youth asked in total confusion, "What a few hours? What is going to be over?" as he gently put his father on his chair.  
  
"It's a long story. And I believe you are mature enough for me to tell you the truth." Trunks sighed and looked at his to-be-adult son, "Do you remember our trip to the past 13 years ago?"  
  
"Of course." Vegeta replied, sadness filled with his eyes, "You died protecting me and your younger-self. When we returned, you disappeared for an hour or so before you came back alive."  
  
Trunks looked at his son, amused that the four years old child remembered such details of the incidence. "That's right. But I didn't tell you all the facts. When I was in the underworld, I was offered with eternal after- life as a reward of what I have done in my life. But then I was told that I couldn't stay in the human world in my spirit form."  
  
Vegeta was even more confused, "Then how could you lived with me in the past 13 years?"  
  
Trunks looked away, avoiding his son's eyes, "I was offered with another option. I could choose to stay in the human world until you turn 18. So I chose the second option. As a result, I will be leaving you after tonight."  
  
Shocked, Vegeta ran through all the facts in his mind again, something's not right, "You chose to stay in the human world until I turn 18. But at what cost?"  
  
Trunks lowered his head, not looking at his son.  
  
"Dad." Vegeta pleaded, "Please tell me. You always tell me that there is a cost for everything. What is the cost for you to stay in the human world to take care of me?"  
  
"The cost is..." Trunks hesitated, unwilling to tell the truth, "The cost is the eternal after-life."  
  
Vegeta inhaled deeply, unbelieving of the high price his father had paid for taking care of him in the past 13 years. Vegeta shivered as the next question struck him, "Then... What is going to happen to you when I turn 18?" he whispered, hoping for the best, "Are you going to be reincarnated?"  
  
"No..." Trunks answered, regretting for bringing up the topic at all, "I will disappear. Both my body and soul."  
  
"No... I don't believe this..." Vegeta shook his head before burying his face with his hands, tears started rolling down his cheeks, "Why? Why did you make such a stupid decision? It didn't worth it! This is the most ridiculous decision I have ever heard!" he yelled in anger as more tears fell.  
  
Eyes widened, Trunks was shocked to see the reaction of his son. His eyes softened as he realized how much his son had treasured him as a father, "Vegeta, I tell you what, I believe it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I enjoyed so much of your companion, watching you grow up, knowing that you have become a useful person and a power worrier. I have never ever regretted my decision." as he stroke his son's soft hair gently.  
  
Silence.  
  
Trunks looked out of the window, "Vegeta, do you remember the first time I trained you?"  
  
The youth raised his head, surprised by the sudden change of subject, "Yeah... I remember I was about three. You taught me the basic fighting skills. Before that, you just allowed me to work on my physical strength." as he wiped away the tears.  
  
"You were so excited when I asked you to fight me." Trunks continued, memories flooded back, smiling, "Until I accidentally hit you in the face. You cried for a good hour and you didn't talk to me for the day."  
  
"Yes, I remember." a small smile returned to Vegeta's face, "It hurt a lot. It was the first time I got hit. By then, you cooked all my favorite dishes for dinner in order to tempt me out of my room."  
  
Trunks laughed, "You know how much time did I spend on preparing that dinner? I made all the 16 dishes in five hours."  
  
"No wonder the roasted pork was cold when I eat it!" Vegeta also laughed.  
  
"But you still ate it all. So no complaint."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In future timeline~  
  
~11:58pm~  
  
The father and son laughed and laughed again, revisiting memories like old friends.  
  
Slowly, the laughter faded. Vegeta looked at the clock hanged on the wall, *Two more minutes.* he thought as he felt his heart sank.  
  
"Vegeta." Trunks said, "Can you promise me two things?"  
  
Vegeta looked up, "Sure."  
  
Trunks looking straight into his son's eyes, "Promise me that you will take good care of yourself and be brave in my absence."  
  
Vegeta's looked at his father, determined, "I promise you."  
  
Trunks hugged his son, "I am sure you will do well."  
  
Vegeta blushed as he hugged his father for the last time, unable to hold back tears, "Thank you father. Thank you for all you have done for me."  
  
Sound of the bell from a nearby church indicated the arrival of the mid- night.  
  
"Happy birthday, Vegeta." Trunks whispered as he slowly disappeared in the embrace of his son.  
  
Vegeta looked at the empty space where his father once existed. He whispered in grief, "Father, thank you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In the future timeline~  
  
~In the underworld~  
  
Goku, Gohan and Bulma stood in front of Kai King, while Vegeta leaned against a wall nearby, all looking at a small crystal ball with dimmed blue light held by Kai King. The four of them had been granted with eternal after-life for their contribution to the world.  
  
"Is there any way we can save him?" Bulma asked, holding back tears in her eyes.  
  
Gohan looked at the small ball, "He doesn't deserve such an end. He had done so much to the world."  
  
"He knew the consequences of his choice." Kai King sighed, "There is only one way to keep his soul from being totally destroyed. But I am not sure if it is a good idea."  
  
"What is it?" Goku asked.  
  
Kai King sighed deeply, "The four of you can inject some of your eternal after-life spirit energy into Trunks' soul. This will keep his soul alive and basically granting him eternal life."  
  
Kai King continued, "However, as this is against the laws of the world of the dead. Not only he will lose all his memories of this life, he will be expelled from this timeline. All I can do is to grant him the ability to travel through time and send a message to the Kai Kings in all timelines so that they will look after him. I know this is cruel but it's the last thing we can do."  
  
"I guess we have no choice." Goku said as he put an assuring hand on sad mother's shoulder.  
  
Bulma looked at blue crystal ball before turning to her husband, meeting the glaze of the Saiya prince.  
  
Silently, Vegeta nodded lightly.  
  
"I will inject some spirit energy into Trunks' soul to make sure he agrees to the option." Kai King said, "And you can say the final goodbye to him."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~30 minutes later~  
  
~In the underworld~  
  
Trunks opened his eyes slowly, slightly disoriented.  
  
"Trunks." a female voice called.  
  
Trunks' eyes focused and found that he was lying on soft grassland, his head rested on his mother's lap. "Mum." he said weakly, happiness filled his voice, "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too." Bulma replied, "I am so proud of you. You have done so much to the world and your son. Your father is very proud of you too." as she looked over to the Saiya prince standing not far away.  
  
"Dad?" Trunks turned and looked at his father, who looked away as their eyes met. He smiled as he found his father in this timelines acted exactly the same as the one in the past.  
  
"You were very brave." Gohan approached the young man.  
  
"Gohan." Trunks said, his eyes sparked with excitement, "I thought I will never see you again. I owe you for every battle I won."  
  
"I had never have a chance to thank you for saving my past-self." Goku approached.  
  
Trunks smiled.  
  
"Trunks." Bulma said, hesitantly, "You know what you are facing, right?"  
  
"Yes, mum." Trunks said, his eyes staring up the sky, "I know. I guess it is the best outcome I can get."  
  
Bulma looked at her son, waves of emotions reflected in her eyes, "I guess so."  
  
Trunks kept his eyes on his mother, "I wish I will never forget you."  
  
Bulma stroked her son's soft purple hair, tears filled her eyes, "I will never forget you."  
  
Slowly, Trunks closed his eyes with exhaustion. Goku, Gohan and Vegeta walked towards the mother and son. The four held out their hands over the sleeping young man, spirit energy started flowing towards him.  
  
"Goodbye, my son." Bulma said. A tear rolled down her cheek as a cloud of light surrounded the young man.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The last chapter will be posted soon. So stay tuned. ^-^  
  
Please feel free to review and comment! Thanks!! 


	5. Chapter 5 – The Beginning?

Brothers  
  
By Gozilla  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!  
  
Please excuse my poor English. ^-^  
  
Reviews are most welcomed!!  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*crap* - thoughts  
  
"crap" - conversation  
  
(crap) - author's note  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 5 - The Beginning?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~In the past timeline~  
  
~Present~  
  
~Inside the Brief's mansion~  
  
Sound of fighting and explosion could be heard across the corridor. At the end of the corridor, there was the heavy metal door of the enhanced gravity chamber. Inside the chamber, two super Saiyajin worriers fought.  
  
Vegeta, the Saiya prince, flied towards his opponent with tremendous speed, throwing ki balls one after another. His opponent, Trunks, now 12 years old, dodged the ki balls with ease and charged towards his father for close- range combat.  
  
A female voice came from the intercom in the room, "Vegeta, Trunks, time for lunch."  
  
"Yes, mum. I am coming." Little Trunks stopped fighting and answered.  
  
"Chi, stupid woman. Doesn't she know we are in training?" Vegeta spat in disgust.  
  
"Well, we got to eat, right? Let's go." Little Trunks said as he left the chamber. He went straight to the kitchen, where his mother was. When he got to the kitchen, he greeted Bulma before sitting down and ate.  
  
*Little Trunks has changed so much over the past few years.* Bulma thought as she watched her son eating, *Ever since the faithful battle 7 years ago, he has become much more polite and gentle. Though he could not remember a thing about the incidence...*  
  
Bulma looked out of the window, *Trunks... I wonder what happened to you. I have not heard of a word from you since that day.*  
  
Suddenly, Little Trunks shot up, sensing the approach of the ki of certain uninvited visitors from the outer space to a nearby area.  
  
Vegeta, who just arrived the kitchen, also sensed the ki, "Another bunch of stupid aliens." he murmured in annoyance.  
  
"Dad, this group is weak." Trunks said, "I can handle them myself." as he charged out of the door, flying towards the source of the ki.  
  
Vegeta looked as his son disappeared in the horizon, no emotion shown on his face. He was about to turn and eat when a unique but familiar feeling struck. So slightly, yet, so powerful as a ripple spread across his long- stilled emotion.  
  
Vegeta shivered slightly as the long buried memories re-surfaced, *He is here. But where? I can sense his presence but I can't feel his ki...* he thought as he charged out of the house.  
  
"Vegeta? Where are you going?" Bulma shouted, confused by the sudden change of her husband's behaviour.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~10 minutes later~  
  
~Out in the open~  
  
Little Trunks followed the ki and saw a spacecraft on the opening. He landed near the vehicle and met three octopus-like aliens.  
  
"Who are you?" Little Trunks asked, "What do you want?"  
  
"Stay out of our way, little boy." one of the aliens said, "We are taking the rich resources of the planet for our use. If you don't want to be killed, you'd better run now."  
  
Little Trunks smirked, the infamous Vegeta smirk, "What makes you think that I will let you do that? How are you going to stop me from making you all a full dish of octopus sashimi?"  
  
The leading alien held up one of its tentacles, "With this." as a bright ring shot straight towards the youth.  
  
Trunks did not have time to react before the ring bounded him around his waist, tying his hands to his body. "K'so!" he cursed as he tried to power up. But he found that he could not power up, "Nani?"  
  
"This is called a 'Restraint Ring'." the leading alien said, "Not only it can suppress one's power, it can also absorb his energy for our use."  
  
Little Trunks fell to his knees as he felt his energy being drained by the ring at an alarming rate, *I have underestimated these ugly aliens...* he thought as he felt blackness was threatening to overwhelm his mind.  
  
Suddenly, Little Trunks felt the ring was being cut free of him. He opened his eyes and saw the back of a man, charged towards the three aliens at inhuman speed. The man's right hand reached the back of his right shoulder, sheathing a sword hidden at his back, and swung it with lightning speed against the aliens.  
  
With flashes of light, the aliens fell to the ground, each being cut into a dozen pieces. The man threw two ki balls, one at the body pieces of the aliens, the other one at the spacecraft, sending them exploded and burnt in fierce flame.  
  
Little Trunks watched in disbelieve. He sensed the man's extremely powerful ki during his attack, which was masked completely immediately after the attack.  
  
The man turned to face the youth. Only by then could Little Trunks take a good look at the man.  
  
The stranger, who was wearing a torn, old leather long ankle-length robe, with a piece of cloth loosely wrapped around his face, only revealing his eyes, stood in front of Little Trunks.  
  
The stranger looked straight into the bright blue eyes of Little Trunks. To his astonishment, Little Trunks found that he was looking at the very identical eyes of his own.  
  
A weird feeling suddenly struck Little Trunks, the familiar eyes, the familiar ki, the familiar scene, all these broke the thick barrier of certain memories buried deep inside of his mind.  
  
The memories of the visitors when he was five, the battle with the hunters, the flash of light reflected by a sword pinning a young man to a rock, the explosion... all flooded back.  
  
"Trunks? Oniisan?" Little Trunks asked hesitantly.  
  
"You know me?" the young man's eyes widened in surprise, "Have we met before? But I don't remember being in this timeline before." the man said as he pulled down the cloth covering his face, revealing a handsome face and his soft purple hair, "Yes, my name is Trunks. Or at least this is what they have told me. If I not mistaken, you are my younger-self in this timeline, right? Nice to meet you."  
  
Little Trunks looked at the young man, speechless as he was confused by the words, "What... what do you mean by your younger-self? Don't you remember me? I am Trunks, your distant cousin. You visited me when I was five and I got you into a fight with some aliens which... which ended up with a huge explosion... but I couldn't remember anything after that. You just disappeared ever since."  
  
"Interesting." the young man smiled, though as confused as the youth, "This is the first time since my wandering life started that I met someone who has actually seen me before. Please tell me more. Am I a distant cousin of yours? Not your older-self?"  
  
"Yes, he is your younger-self." came a deep voice.  
  
It was Vegeta. Thought his face showed nothing, his heart was overwhelmed with happiness seeing his 'older' son returned, alive and in one piece.  
  
"Hi there." Trunks smiled, "You must be Vegeta-san. They told me you are my father. You are the most friendly one I have even encountered. The other ones always wanted to kill me when we met. Well, at least before I or the Kai King in the timeline explains who I am and convinced him not to kill his own son."  
  
Confused, Vegeta frowned and looked at the young man, "What do you mean? You were the one who visited us in this timeline. What happened to you? You seemed to have lost your memories about us."  
  
Trunks seemed a bit taken aback from the words 'lost memories'. He looked up to the sky, "This is what the first Kai King I met have told me. He said he was the Kai King of the timeline I belong. But due to certain reasons, I have been granted with eternal life at the cost of losing all my memories of my previous life and I am not allowed to stay in my own timeline."  
  
Trunks continued, "With that, I have been wandering between different timelines and space. But, interestingly, the Kai King in every timeline seemed to know me and took care of me."  
  
Vegeta was shocked, half guessed what might have happened, "How long have been wandering?"  
  
"I don't know." Trunks said, a wave of sadness flashed through his beautiful bright blue eyes, "Ever since I have been traveling through time and the fact that I have eternal life, I lost count of time. I am lonely and time does not matter to me anymore. I am really glad that finally I have found a timeline which someone actually knows me."  
  
Vegeta struggled to absorb all the facts and odds thrown at him by the young man standing in front of him. When he finally cleared his mind, he had a thought which was against all his normal behaviour. Struggled hard against his usual pride, he asked in a whisper, "If you have no particular timeline or place to go, why don't you stay?"  
  
"What?" Trunks asked.  
  
Little Trunks' jaw dropped open in complete surprise at the request of his usually very arrogant father.  
  
Vegeta blushed heavily, gritting his teeth, "You heard me boy." he said angrily, swearing every single rude word he knew under his nose, "If you don't want to, just leave."  
  
Trunks smiled, his eyes filled with appreciation, "Of course I would love to stay. It is the very first time I have ever been invited to stay. Thank you, Vegeta-san."  
  
"Stop calling me that." Vegeta groaned.  
  
Trunks was confused for a moment, not realising what the Saiya prince meant. But then, a name escaped from the heavily locked memories. He smiled and said happily, "Yes, tousan."  
  
"Dad," now the very confused Little Trunks asked, "could you please explain what is happening?"  
  
"Go ask your mother." Vegeta said in annoyance before he started flying back to the Brief's mansion.  
  
"Oh, well, whatever." Little Trunks shrugged. He turned to the young man standing in front of him, "Let's go home, oniisan. I am sure mum will scream in happiness when she sees you."  
  
"Sure." Trunks replied as his smile broadened, his heart filled with the long-lost feeling of warmth. In this strange unfamiliar timeline, he had found something very important to him, a family he knew, a family who knew and accepted him.  
  
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The End... Or just the beginning of another story?  
  
I hope you enjoyed reading the story!!  
  
Please review and comment! Thanks!! 


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